Dear Friends,

The stories of inspiration have been endless. Since the opening of Karma Kitchen at this location, hundreds of people have served selflessly, thousands have received the gift of a meal, and we have witnessed some truly extraordinary ripples (including the launch of a new chapter in DC!). Now - after seven months of whirlwind action, we are stopping to look within. Starting this Sunday, April 5th, Karma Kitchen will be on retreat! We sense the time is ripe for reflection, so we.re taking this break to strengthen our alignment as volunteers, explore how we can step up the generosity experience for guests and deepen in our collective understanding of how this gift economy experiment works.

"17 years ago I read a copy of this book," says Joe. He is pointing to Peace Pilgrim's autobiography, a staple on Karma Kitchen's Kindness Table. "And I thought how do I bring a part of her electrifying message to my art?" 431,204 Peace Chains later here he is, this soft-spoken artist who gifts the world exquisite, handcrafted clay pendants each inscribed with the word "Peace" in one of nearly 100 different languages. Joe brought boxfuls of his work with him to Karma Kitchen, offering peace chains to delighted guests and volunteers with a gentle humility that inspired us all.

A woman at Kinkos learns about this experiment and refuses to let us pay for our printed 'Your Bill Totals $0.00" receipts, an initially sceptical psychiatry resident in DC waits on tables one Sunday afternoon and finds himself "hooked", a young violin player in Berkeley enchants the restaurant with a hauntingly beautiful musical offering and a grade-school teacher brings a dozen of his students by to "discuss Karma" in a setting that makes it more than an abstract concept. There's no measuring the end or the beginning of the many ripples seen and unseen...but we know they have left our hearts full-to-brimming.

We hope this pause serves as an opportunity for all of us to reflect on the deeper values, of inter-connectedness, trust and abundance that Karma Kitchen stands for -- and we're looking forward to seeing all of you when we're back!

To sign up for an update on Karma Kitchen's reopening please visit us at www.karmakitchen.org

We leave you with a joyous, telling slideshow of special KK moments and the many "once-in-a-lifetime" crews that have come together in this space.

With gratitude for your resonance & support,

Dear _______,

Karma Kitchen Berkeley has just made the exciting decision to go on retreat starting the first week of April! Since our launch at this location, hundreds of people have served selflessly, thousands have received the gift of a meal, and we have witnessed some truly beautiful ripples, including the launch of a new chapter in DC. At the same time, we've also seen some people struggle to understand the pay-it-forward model. The time is now ripe for us to strengthen in our alignment as volunteers, explore how we can step up the generosity experience for guests and deepen in our collective understanding of how this gift economy experiment works. It is a pivotal phase in our evolution and we trust that this break from regular operations will give all of us and the community at large an opportunity to reflect on the values that Karma Kitchen represents.

Given this decision, we will not be accepting new Volunteer Sign ups at this time. We.d love to have you join us when we.re back though! If you.d like to receive updates on our reopening please sign up for the Karma Kitchen newsletter here. And if you are an old volunteer who would like to plug into retreat activities please drop us a note at info@karmakitchen.org

Our gratitude for your resonance and support.

Karma Kitchen Berkeley On Retreat!

That's right! We're stopping to look within after seven months of inspiring activity and whirlwind growth. Starting the first week of April, Karma Kitchen will be on retreat. Since our launch at this location, hundreds of people have served selflessly, thousands have received the gift of a meal, and we have witnessed some truly extraordinary ripples -- including the launch of a new chapter in DC! It's been a phenomenal, action-packed journey and now the time is ripe for us to strengthen in our own alignment as volunteers, explore how we can step up the generosity experience for guests and deepen in our collective understanding of how this gift economy experiment works.

If you would like to receive updates on Karma Kitchen's reopening we invite you to subscribe to our online newsletter. In the meantime, if you have thoughts, ideas or stories to share, do drop us a note here.

With gratitude for your resonance and support!

Dear All,

We were touched and inspired by all the quick, thoughtful and honest responses we received to the mail sent out early this week. From your feedback it quickly became clear that there is a strong collective "readiness" for a retreat, awareness of critical issues that need addressing and real excitement around what can be gained from this kind of space. Just want to say that the shared sense of ownership all of you bring to KK is powerful and that basically all you guys totally ROCK!

So after much thought and reflection, here's our plan of action for "Karma Kitchen on Retreat"

[...]

It's an earlier retreat start date than originally anticipated, but turns out to be logistically easier to swing. A few of you were concerned about momentum, but as was the case with the Namaste to ToH migration, we're confident that the magnetic quality of clear, pure intentions and integral actions will work their magic once again.

So let's get cranking on taking Karma Kitchen to new heights! Please Doodle Poll -- yes can't escape that :) -- your availabilities here asap, and we'll keep you posted with the follow-up details.

In service and stillness,

Dear Coordinators,

We're happy to announce that after an extended retreat period of a few months, Karma Kitchen is now readying to open it's doors in Berkeley again!

As coordinators Viral and I have certainly benefited from being able to take a step back from the action, and deeply appreciate the various insights and perspectives that emerged through the process of brainstorming with the group. And now the team is ready to bring this experiment in generosity back :-) The planned date for reopening is Sunday, August 9th, and in between now and then there will be lots of action underway.

New Karma Kitchen Menus [...]

We'll be sending out a broader announcement about the reopening to the Karma Kitchen mailing list and all past KK volunteers later this week, and if you have additional thoughts or would like to contribute in other ways than those outlined here, do let us know.

We're looking forward to serving again with all of you!

In service, smiles and stillness,

Dear Friends,

We're happy to announce that after a retreat period of a few months, Karma Kitchen is now readying to open it's doors in Berkeley again! We are looking forward to being back at our old home at the Taste of the Himalayas with a brand new logo, new menus, many new volunteers and lots of new ideas on how we can collectively evolve this experiment in generosity!

Reopening details are as follows:

Sunday, August 9th
Time: 11AM- 2:30PM

Venue: Taste of the Himalayas
1700 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94709

We have spent valuable time in looking at our blessings, gaps and possibilities, as well as in deepening our own alignment as volunteers, exploring how we can step up the generosity experience for guests and evolving our collective understanding of how this gift economy experiment works. In the meantime, the Karma Kitchen in DC has been going (and growing) strong! And this time has certainly not been without other experiments taking flight, like this Smiley Friday Morning! So as Karma Kitchen Berkeley comes back on the scene, we hope you will join us in creating a space that collectively takes us from consumption to contribution, from scarcity to abundance, from transaction to trust and from isolation to community.

If you would like to sign up to volunteer in the coming weeks, you can do so here.

In service and in smiles,